Friday 6th July 2007
Bentley Biscuit team 'very confident'ahead of Group 1 Darley July Cup bid
BENTLEY BISCUIT TEAM "VERY CONFIDENT" AHEAD OF GROUP ONE DARLEY JULY CUP BID
*MINE PRIMED FOR LADBROKES BUNBURY CUP FOUR-TIMER*
Crack Australian sprinter Bentley Biscuit is in "flying" form ahead of Europe’s richest sprint, the £375,000 Group One Darley July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket’s July Course on Friday, July 13, the final day of the Ritz Club July Festival.
That is the assessment of Rob Waterhouse, husband of the six-year-old gelding’s trainer Gai Waterhouse, who reports that the Aussie star has recovered from the jarring he suffered when coming home last of 20 in the Group Two King’s Stand Stakes over five furlongs at Royal Ascot on June 19.
Waterhouse revealed today: "Gai tells me that he’s absolutely flying. He was over the Ascot race within two or three days and in terms of the ground, the softer the better with him."
Bentley Biscuit rattled up a hat-trick of Australian Group One wins over six and seven furlongs in the spring before embarking for the UK. The latest of those triumphs came in the Jacob’s Creek Sparkling BTC Cup over six furlongs at Doomben on May 12.
The Peintre Celebre gelding showed a brilliant turn-of-foot on that occasion as he came from last to first in the home straight for a visually impressive short-neck verdict over Takeover Target and the Waterhouse camp is looking forward to proving the Royal Ascot run to be an unfortunate and isolated blip.
Rob Waterhouse continued: "We’re very confident we’ll turn the tables. We think that the six furlongs at Newmarket will suit him far better than the five furlongs at Ascot. He’ll have no trouble with the track or the distance."
Bentley Biscuit, who will be ridden by champion jockey Ryan Moore, is set to face the Jeremy Noseda-trained Soldier’s Tale, who caught Takeover Target on the line in the Group One Golden Jubilee Stakes. Taking a line through Takeover Target, Waterhouse believes that Bentley Biscuit can become the first Australian-trained winner of the Darley July Cup.
The trainer’s husband stated: "I do think he’s come on since he defeated Takeover Target at Doomben and I think that on any view he’s a better horse than Takeover Target."
Choisir came closest to securing a first Australian triumph in the Darley July Cup when finishing second to Oasis Dream in 2003, while Takeover Target, who misses the race this year, was a close seventh to Les Arcs 12 months ago.
Further Australian interest is added by the presence of Bentley Biscuit’s former stablemate Mutawaajid, who defeated the brilliant filly Gold Edition in the Group Two Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill, Australia, in February but has since left Gai Waterhouse and is set to make his British debut in the Darley July Cup for trainer Mick Channon.
